They reached for the remote at the same time to unmute the TV. Connor pulled his hand back quickly, and couldn't hide the look on his face. Brooke frowned as she met his gaze, and he looked away.
"You're afraid of me."
He hesitated. Part of him wanted to get to know the lovely woman he kept an eye on over the years. He wouldn't mind more living friends, and it wasn't every day a nice woman showed up at his apartment and wanted to talk. But he was also terrified, and wanted her as far away as possible.
"What's going on?"
He stood up and retrieved his scrapbook from the closet in the bedroom. Brooke had a look of confusion as he set it in front of her on the coffee table, making sure to keep his distance. She flipped through a few pages and saw Connor in his younger years. A few pictures of his parents, around the house, in the backyard, a professional photo that had to be taken twice because a soul flew through the set during the first try. Finally, she found a newspaper clipping. Connor was opposite from her, so the article was upside-down, but he already had every word memorized.
Serial Killer Dead In Home Shootout.
"I read about this," Brooke said. "This happened not too long before I was born. I saw a documentary on the guy. Scary to think he lived not far from here. He killed like thirteen people, and a cop's wife killed him, right?"
A very short, blunt way to describe the worst night in Connor's life. He felt a tightness in his chest.
"Today's the anniversary, actually. The cop was my father, the cop's wife my mother."
Her mouth fell open, and a genuine look of sadness reached her eyes. She placed the book on the coffee table.
"I'm so sorry—"
She rose to her feet, and he took a step back. It was entirely reflexive. He simply couldn't be himself around her.
Anger flashed across her face. "Okay, so what does this have to do with me? You know, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, that you're just shy, like me. I thought maybe you followed me because you wanted to be friends. Or you thought Amber was hot."
He winced and shook his head. Maybe a joke would help lighten the mood. "Amber's not my type."
"Connor." There was danger in her voice.
He leaned forward and pointed to the mugshot in the clipping. "The man that killed my parents, Mike Burns, that's you."
Brooke stared at him blankly. "I'm sorry…what?"
"You have his soul."
She grabbed the scrapbook once again and skimmed the article. Connor guessed she was checking dates, comparing Mike Burns' death to her birth, trying to see if the idea was even possible.
"How would you know that?"
"I can talk with spirits. I understand what they say."
Brooke took a step back and grabbed her purse from the couch, not once taking her eyes off Connor. She felt along the wall as she made her way to the front door, panic on her face.
"If I see you again, I'm calling the police. Don't ever follow me, or you'll regret it."
She left the apartment, and he let out the breath he'd been holding. He leaned against the wall separating the kitchen and dining room and wiped sweat from his forehead. The nausea was back, but not nearly as intense as before.
"What in the hell was all that about?" Ryan asked.
He glanced over his shoulder to see the soul hovering in the kitchen. Connor said nothing, and grabbed a soda from the fridge, draining it in nearly one gulp.
"That chick was in to you, man. She came to your apartment to hang out. She wanted to get to know you. What did you do?"
"Hopefully she won't come back anymore."
"Oh, so you scared her away on purpose? You know, sometimes I forget. I forget the genius that is Connor Leland. I used to wonder where Einstein's soul went. That mystery is solved. Scaring yummy chicks away…pure genius. And that story you fed her…."
Ryan went silent as Connor collapsed on the couch where Brooke sat. He flipped through the scrapbook, settling on a picture of his parents by themselves, and let out a sad smile as a tear ran down his cheek. Ryan settled over his shoulder, examining the book.
"Dude, is that story true?"
"Every word."
"What happened?"
"I lived with my aunt after my parents were murdered. My parents stayed with me for a while, but they moved on."
"Reincarnation?"
"No. They moved on to the next stop together."
Ryan was quiet. They both knew neither the living or spirits knew what the next stop was.
"Anyway, after they left, I started getting nighttime visits from the soul of Mike Burns. He said it was his destiny to kill me, and he wouldn't rest until he did."
"Are you shitting me?"
"Nope. He followed me everywhere. He'd whisper in my ear when I tried to sleep, distract me in school, yell at me when I crossed the street. He tried to make my life a living Hell. It was bad for a while."
"Holy shit."
"Yeah." Connor smiled, tired of the heavy mood. "I was saved by a hot-and-heavy neighbor couple having rigorous sex one night."
"Brooke was conceived," Ryan said, putting the rest together. "And Burns was the closest soul. He was sucked in like a vacuum cleaner."
"You got it. He flew right from my bedroom window to their house, the whole time screaming about how he was gonna kill me. Brooke was born, and I've always kind of kept an eye on her."
"You know she's not gonna hurt you. Dude, you know reincarnation and the afterlife better than anyone, even more than a lot of spirits. Yummy Brooke is not Mike Burns. Same soul, yes, but completely different people. Personalities don't transfer after a natural reincarnation."
"Would you stop calling her yummy? And Ryan, I know that. I know how it all works. But I also know a half-inch spider can't do anything to me, and I can't get near them."
"You're scared of spiders? Puss."
"Yeah, well, it took you six months to go near water again."
"That's because I drowned, asshole."
Connor laughed. That's what he needed, some humor. "So today I figured I'd try to get near her, conquer my fear a little. It didn't exactly go like I'd hoped."
"That's one way of putting it. Nothing like making a hot chick run out of your apartment."
"She is hot, isn't she? Hard to believe she killed my parents."
"Dude, she didn't—"
"I know, I know. Her old life did, her soul. That's what I meant. Whatever."
He pulled his food out of the fridge and took a bite. It was still warm. Perhaps the night would end well after all. He sat on the couch and unmuted the TV. Ryan settled next to him on the opposite end. They watched thirty seconds of the ballgame before a new voice entered the room.
"Ryan? Are you in here?"
Connor turned to see another soul floating behind the couch. He didn't know whether it floated or teleported in.
"Ryan!" the soul said. "Is this the guy? Can he hear what I'm saying?"
He shook his head and turned his attention back to the ballgame. "So much for laying low."
"I'm sorry, man. This wasn't supposed to…what are you doing here, Tommy?"
"I need his help."
"I know. You told me this already. But you just can't barge in here and assault the poor guy. I told you, I have to butter him up first—"
He nearly choked on his broccoli. "Butter me up?"
"Things have changed," Tommy said. "I don't like this either, believe me. But we're talking some serious shit here."
Connor rolled his eyes and muted the TV once again. "What's going on?"
"It's my sister. She's…making some really bad choices."
"You have a message for her?" he asked, reaching for the phone. "I can call her right now, and get back to watching the Orioles."
"She's not home. She's in trouble."
"I can call the police."
"They won't help, if they even believe you. I need you to go to her."
"Of course you do. Look, I just got home. It hasn't been t
he best of days. I just want to be left alone."
"Connor, man, don't be a dick."
"Me? I'm being a dick?"
"Yeah. For whatever reason, you can hear us. If you want to waste that working at an airport, that's fine. But someone is here now, asking for your help. And I know you. You wouldn't forgive yourself if she turns up on the news tomorrow night."
Ryan was right. As irritated as he was, Connor put his food away one more time and turned the TV off. He grabbed his wallet and keys from the table.
"Okay, okay. Let's get moving. Ryan, you're coming with us."
"Of course. What are friends for?"
He locked up the apartment and walked down the winding stairs, both spirits behind him. The street was still crawling with people and souls, although Connor felt tired. It was close to midnight.
"I got shotgun," Ryan called.
"No. No one gets shotgun. If you don't have a body, you have to ride in the back."
"Uh, dude, you're attracting attention, including Miss Yummy over there."
Connor scanned the street as he opened his car door. People had stopped to stare at him, some even pointing and laughing. Standing on the corner by a cafe was Brooke. She held a cell phone to her ear, but her focus was on Connor. She stared at him with curiosity.
He climbed in the Beetle as Ryan and Tommy moved to the back. He smiled and waved at her as he drove away.
*****
Connor stifled a yawn as he followed Tommy's directions. Only a few cars were on the highway. A few souls sat on top of the signs hovering over the road. He wondered how he looked to other drivers, with two souls in the back seat. He turned on the radio just to have some background noise.
"Okay, tell me what's going on."
"My sister Lindsay, she's not herself right now."
"Oh, no. You need to give me more than that. I flew blind into a favor earlier today, and it's not something I'm gonna do again. I need details."
"It's cool," Ryan said. "You can trust him."
"Lindsay's joined some cult."
He slowed the car down slightly. "What?"
"It's a little group, none of them much older than her. She's trying to contact me. They've got her thinking their punk leader is magical or something. She thinks he'll help her talk with me. She's been skipping school, and who knows what drugs she's taking. Well, tonight, she's finally going to their little clubhouse."
"And what do you think I'm gonna do?"
"We just need to take her away from there. I can talk to her, through you, hopefully set her straight."
"Are these people dangerous? We really should have called the police."
"And tell them what? I think they might hurt her tonight. Part of their little initiation or whatever. We can't waste time with the police."
"I guess that answers the dangerous part."
He turned the music up louder, trying to distract himself. He had no idea of what he'd do, or even what Tommy wanted him to do. Hopefully everything would be simple and fine. He would pick up Lindsay, talk to her, and drop her off somewhere. Maybe he'd even catch the last half of the ballgame.
"So, you've always been able to talk to spirits?"
"Yeah."
"And, I mean…there's nothing fancy to it? You just listen? You don't go into a trance like those guys on TV?"
"Don't believe everything you see on TV. The only trance I go in is when the guy next to you bores me to tears."
Ryan laughed. "You wouldn't know excitement without me around."
"Yeah. Thanks to you I'm driving to pick up a girl from a cult."
"Thank you," Tommy said. "I wish I could pay you somehow."
"Don't worry about it. Let's just go get your sister."
They drove another ten minutes in silence before Tommy floated through the back seat and settled next to Connor.
"Okay, there's a dirt road up here under the exit twenty-eight sign. That's what you want."
"Are you joking? A dirt road with woods everywhere. Do you know horror movies start out like this?"
"Well," Ryan said. "You're not female. You're not hot. And maybe even a virgin…I think you're safe."
Connor appreciated the joke, anything to help his mood. Tommy was quiet. They drove in the woods until Tommy told him to stop the car and turn off the headlights.
"Why? I don't see anything."
"There's a house up the road, old and abandoned. They hang out there and do…whatever it is they do. But you can't go driving there, they'll see you."
"I have two brightly lit souls next to me. I think they'll see you guys, too."
"We'll fly up ahead over the trees, take different angles if we have to. We'll meet up behind the place, somewhere they can't see us."
"You want me to walk through these woods alone?"
"You afraid of the dark there, puss?"
"No, but if you guys fly away I won't be able to see."
"Just stick to the road. The house isn't far, and they've always got candles lit."
"And who you calling puss?"
"Guys!" Tommy said. "Damn, it's like watching kids fight. Can we get my sister?"
Tommy flew through the roof and moved up over the trees, illuminating the road as he went. Ryan moved through the windshield, but stopped for a moment.
"I'm proud of you, man. But nothing crazy. We get this girl, and get out of here. And I'm sorry. When I first met Tommy I didn't think his problems were this big. I thought he wanted to tell his mother he loved her or something."
"It's okay. But after tonight we'll have the spirits start filling out an application."
"That's not a bad idea. We'll split the money, fifty-fifty. Be careful. Get to a spot they can't see you and I'll teleport to you."
Ryan followed Tommy's path over the trees, leaving Connor alone. He left the Beetle as quietly as he could and walked along the dirt road. He only had a partially-obscured moon to give him light. It took ten seconds of walking to stumble over an unseen rock.
"What am I doing here?" he whispered aloud. "Guess I haven't done enough stupid things in my life yet."
He walked through the woods calmly and quietly. The dark didn't bother him at all. Only spiders and Brooke Martin frightened him. After going through his parents' murder and the short time with Mike Burns, it took a lot to rattle him.
Connor saw the outline of the house ahead, along with three cars. There was a flickering light in a front window, a candle or two. He could make out more details as he drew nearer. Tommy wasn't lying when he said the house was run-down. The front door was missing, and most of the windows were broken. Trees and shrubs grew along the walls. Half of the roof covering the front porch had collapsed.
He crouched and leaned against a tree when he noticed several souls flying around and through the house. At first glance he thought they were Ryan and Tommy, but there were more than two. What were other spirits doing at an abandoned house?
Keeping just inside the trees, he made his way around the house. He thought he saw a shadow move inside the living room, and heard what sounded like a girl's laugh. A soul emerged from the house and soared near the roof. Connor stopped moving and hid behind a tree. The last thing he needed was for a soul to spot him and give away where he was.
He was peering around a tree into the kitchen when a light appeared behind him.
"Hey, man."
Jumping slightly, he gripped the tree and held in a curse. Ryan stayed where he was, careful not to move out into the open.
"I wish you'd warn me before you do that crap."
"I wish I could."
"What's going on in there?"
"Eh, something weird, that's for sure. I thought Tommy was pulling our chains, but seven people are in there, all in the living room. Kids, like seventeen or eighteen. I counted four girls and two guys. One couple is just making out, but one guy just walks around and kisses the rest of them, and they seem to be in to it. Cult might be a strong word, but something odd is definitely going on in there. C
andles lit, a damn pentagram drawn on the floor. Gives me the creeps."
"What's with the other souls?"
"Whoever this clown is, I think he's got spirits believing in him, too. They're all babbling about how they can't wait to talk to their families."
"Nice. Look, whatever happens, we can't talk to each other. The last thing I want is a bunch of crazy spirits following me around. Did you see Lindsay?"
"I'm not sure, but there was one girl who tried to push him away when he kissed her. He didn't like that too much. Maybe that's her?"
"Where the hell is Tommy?"
"How the hell should I know?"
"Okay, I'm gonna go in and see what I can hear. I'll keep low so the spirits don't see me."
"What's the plan?"
"I was thinking about just grabbing Lindsay and running off with her."
"You manly man, you."
"Shut up. Don't follow me in."
"Alright. Watch your ass."
Connor broke from the trees toward the house. He half-crouched, moving as fast as he could. His eyes lit up when a figure passed by the window, but didn't look outside. As he leaned against the house under a window a spirit emerged just above his head and flew in a strange pattern over the house, singing as he went. He didn't see Connor.
He heard a mix of conversations in the living room.
"So, Rick, do the think the energy is strong tonight?"
"It's strong. That's why the spirits are here. They know I'll be able to talk to them."
"I hope so. I've got so many things I want to ask."
"Dana, your bra is stuck."
"It's not stuck. You just don't know how to take one off."
"Screw you. I've been with a lot of bitches."
"I'm sure. But I'm not a bitch. I'm a young lady."
"Yeah, yeah."
There was a pause as Connor heard clothes being removed, and then another voice.
"Lindsay, are you okay?"
"I think so, just a little nervous. I really want to talk to my brother."
"I'm gonna try, but no promises. A lot of it depends on you."
"I'll do anything."
"Oh, I know you will."
Connor risked a look inside the house, lifting his head just enough for his eyes to clear the sill. The living room matched the outside of the house. A topless couple kissed and groped each other on an old mattress against the wall. A girl with dark hair and pale features rocked slightly to headphones in her ears. Another girl with blond and purple hair texted on a cell phone. The last girl sat against the wall, next to an old fireplace, hugging her knees to her chest. Fear was written all over her face, and he guessed he'd found Lindsay.
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